Parents have been left fuming after their six-year-old girl was labelled a racist for telling a black girl she had chocolate on her face.
They are angry that their daughter Sharona Gower was reprimanded for an offence she does not understand and have blasted the school’s actions as political correctness gone mad.
The little girl had been eating chocolate mousse in the school playground during a break from classes when she was chased by two 11-year-old girls.
One of the older girls, who was black, told her she had chocolate on her face, to which she replied: “Well, you’ve got chocolate on yours”.
The other girl wiped her face, told Sharona there was nothing there and complained to a teacher, who told the six-year-old off.
But when Michelle Gower, 34, went to collect her daughter from St Paul’s Church of England Primary School in Rusthall, she says she was told there had been a racist incident and that a complaint against Sharona had been logged.
She told a national newspaper: “The teacher told me that the girl had complained Sharona was racist. She said she had to record this and it had been logged as required by law.
“The teacher said they have a zero-tolerance policy for racism and bullying, which my husband and I totally agree with.”
Her husband Nick Gower, 45, an antiques dealer, said: “It was a bit of playground banter that has been taken as a sinister racist remark.
“This is a six-year-old who hasn’t got an idea what racism is and has been labelled as a racist. This is political correctness gone absolutely crazy.”
Mrs Gower, from Rusthall, who also has a nine-year-old daughter Jasmine at the school, has complained to its headteacher Carolyn Cohen, saying: “Sharona is very upset and confused about this situation and didn’t fully understand why she was being reprimanded.”
A spokesman for St Paul's school told this newspaper: “This was a small incident, which has been blown out of all proportion. Children and parents were spoken to following an inappropriate comment.
“The matter was dealt with appropriately and the issue is closed.”
POSTED: 06/11/2009 15:12:17
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